


Deliver Us From Evil

by cxhztile (orphan_account)



Series: Turing Patterns [2]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Autistic Hermann Gottlieb, Blacking Out, Canon Compliant, Canon Jewish Character, Codependency, First Kiss, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hermann Gottlieb Has MS, M/M, Nosebleed, Post-Operation Pitfall (Pacific Rim), Pre-Relationship, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:20:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24377881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/cxhztile
Summary: Hermann rescues Newt from his imbecilic mistake of creating a neural bridge from garbage and drifting with a kaiju. Later, they continue to rely on each other for care and comfort.
Relationships: Newton Geiszler & Hermann Gottlieb, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb
Series: Turing Patterns [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760473
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Deliver Us From Evil

**Author's Note:**

> this has been done a million times but a combo of two things i've been thinking about for a hot minute: hermann saving newt & their first kiss

Though it was something that could not be proven by either of their fields, Hermann could only equate his thought to step into the K-Science lab as… well, instinct. A majority of that instinct was rationally knowing he needed to quadruple check some equations before handing them over to the marshal, but undoubtedly there was something else brewing as well. Nausea often came with the fatigue caused by his condition but this wave curling in his gut was unprecedented and left him to his usual stim drumming his fingers on the head of his cane as he ran through an entire internal debate in under a minute.

His ultimate decision was to go to the lab, for better or for worse, and though it took his momentarily stiff muscles a second to catch up with the order sent by his brain, his gait was as brisk as he could manage without entirely inflaming his joints. At least three people nearly bumped into him, one being successful, as he sauntered through hallways to reach his destination but it was nothing compared to the pain of all of the air being knocked from his lungs as he stood in the doorway. There was a pile of junk haphazardly pieced together among the clutter of Newt’s half of the lab and, most importantly, Newt himself was half sitting, half laying on the floor below the table that held his makeshift machine.

For as fast as his heart was already racing seeing the sight, Hermann lingered a moment longer in the doorway to make sure Newt was truly seizing and it wasn’t his eyes deceiving him. With his affirmation in place, he ambled as fast as he could across their yellow tape and virtually fell with how abruptly he knelt by Newt’s side to release the PONS. His body did not appreciate the sudden movements at all, dizziness rippling through his head and pain flaring behind his eyes, but it was unimportant given the current task before him. The force that he expelled upon the manual release button of the PONS must have been enough to hit Newt’s head as well, he imagined, and most likely didn’t help his half-conscious state.

Newton’s nose was already bleeding fairly vigorously and his eyes, one ringed with blood, were rolled back in his head, prompting Hermann to recite the Lord’s prayer in Hebrew under his breath as he pushed the headset off and began grasping to pull Newt more upright to his chest. It seemed as though Newt had come back to briefly as he grasped the blazer fabric around Hermann’s shoulder and elbow, interrupting Hermann’s fourth recitation, and gasping for air. All Hermann could do was heave as well and back-track his plan about fifteen steps to accommodate this unexpected moment until Newt’s eyes closed and he went limp again.

Hermann left out a sigh of half relief and dug through his pockets for his handkerchief, dabbing the sweat collected on Newt’s forehead and neck before tending to his nose. His knees were at their limit, his shoes were almost all the way off, and yet he remained kneeling and hauling Newt into his arms so he was sat up and had the greater capacity at which to breathe. The breaths in his blackout state were small, concerning, so rubbing circles on his back was the best chance of getting him to snap back and actually get the amount of air he needed. It took a few minutes of rubbing and holding but eventually Hermann felt Newt’s robust coughing course through his body and his subsequent tremor.

He thanked a god he wasn’t sure he wholly believed in and cradled Newt’s head against his jaw, reminding him to breathe despite all of the shaking. Newt whimpered through some of his breaths but the side kisses into his hair and the arms around him toned down his shuddering slightly and loosened his death grip on the back of Hermann’s coat. Once his vision came back, more or less (it was still spotty and his ears were ringing viciously), he sat back and took a good look at Hermann, noting the ragged exhales that mirrored his own. Just by staring into his clouded eyes, Hermann could see the chaos bouncing around Newt’s skull and knew, for as reckless and foolish his experiment had been, there was vital information he had picked up on and needed to alert the marshal about immediately.

With a hefty groan, he grasped for his cane and endeavored to not wrinkle his nose at the pain and tingling coursing through his body as he got to his feet. He mentally logged the necessity to wash his handkerchief later and shifted his weight to his more stable leg, the knee of his weaker leg shaking as he did, turning his cane around in his hand to drag Newt’s desk chair into his general vicinity for when he could endure pulling himself off the floor to sit in it. Newt watched him with blank yet suspicious eyes until he had the brain power to make the connection and could read what Hermann’s grimace was telling him. Hermann glared at him a tick longer before scampering to the LOCCENT where Pentecost had a ninety-eight point seven percent chance of being, not having the strength to gaze back at Newt’s terrified face.

* * *

There was a strange feeling that wormed its way into their celebratory hugs. The first was brief, broken by both letting go and clapping a hand on Choi’s shoulder, yet there was something about briskly meeting face to face in an embrace that jabbed both of them. The second was prompted by Newt’s insistence on wrapping his arm around Hermann’s shoulder, despite the awkward height difference, that was in fact prompted by Hermann’s cheeky side grin and insistence on stepping closer. As Newt’s arm lingered, the feeling caught onto them; it was warm like the skin of an inflamed limb and most likely had a logical explanation that they weren’t seeing so clearly in their continued daze.

The moment he felt Newt’s arm around him, Hermann instinctively gripped his cane in a fluster, feeling too many hormones rushing all at once, but his smile remained as serotonin was the biggest flood of them all. Newt was less flustered and more heart-warmed that Hermann was allowing him the change to show some public affection, in spite of all his rules, rants, and otherwise. As they watched the gallery erupt in further grasp and squeezes, Newt’s arm stayed where it was, not having the audacity to move, and his cheek squished against Hermann’s other bony shoulder.

In the same moment as Hermann watched Newt’s eyes close and his brows furrow from a sudden wave of dizziness, by post-drift effects or sheer coincidence, his hip flared in pain, both buckling against each other as support. With the vaguest drift connection idling, they knew the other would refuse to go to medical and equally huffed at each other for it. As much as Newt would have loved a drink (or ten), one black out was enough for him and wanted to preemptively save himself a next day scolding, instead opting to move his arm from Hermann’s shoulder to into his elbow and allowed Hermann to lean on him. The help was begrudgingly taken, more out of distaste for asking for it than a distaste for the helper.

Their quarters were adjacent to each other, much to their frequent dismay, but Newt, being ever the gentleman for once in his damned life, openly protested the idea of letting Hermann go into his alone, which was secretly flattering. He was able to operate the lock with once hand, trying to keep a blush from creeping onto his face as Newt pressed his cheek into his shoulder again and (lovingly) observed. The inside was as neat as ever, a mix of Hermann’s attempt at professionalism and his impulse cleaning that kept urges at bay, and the path towards the bed was clear, unlike in the organized chaos of Newt’s own quarters. Newt’s grip on his arm tightened as he felt Hermann begin to wobble, desperately needing to put him to bed or risk the relapse that was waiting to happen.

Hermann hunkered onto his soft duvet heavily and painfully groaned as he did, Newt scuttling to the bathroom for his relapse-reducing medicine and non-prescription painkillers for himself. There was a spare cup on the edge of the sink that he filled with sink water after taking all of the pills in hand, swallowing his aspirin first before walking out and handing Hermann his. He flopped down beside him, barely leaving any room between their knees, and made sure Hermann actually took the meds, in spite of being the one who always forgot his own. Hermann peered at him in his peripheral but surprisingly didn’t oppose the observation.

After he finished, he placed the empty glass on his night-table, careful not to over-stretch, and turned back to Newt, who was wide-eyed and examining his features. He began to wrinkle his nose in confusion over the inspection but Newt was already leaning in, starting to place a hand on Hermann’s thigh to brace himself, and gingerly crashed their lips together, as if to not startle him. Once Hermann realized what he was doing, he playfully sighed, the exhale hot on Newt’s cheek, and pulled his weight, cupping one side of Newt’s face. However when their brains registered what was going on, stray neurons replayed what they saw in the drift space, but with less electricity zapping through their skulls from the PONS headsets.

It felt like they were entrapped in the kiss for hours but it had only been a few minutes when Hermann felt something warm and wet on his cupid’s bow and was not Newt getting too eager. He reluctantly pulled back and wiped the dampness with the thumb of his free hand, only to find that his nose had started to bleed again. To make matters worse, some of the blood on his lip wasn’t his own, as Newt’s nose was gushing again and his brain was too foggy to notice. Digging out his handkerchief once again, he generously wiped his own nose before tilting Newt’s head back and pinching the bridge of his nose for him with one hand, the other holding the cloth under his nostrils. Newt was gritting his teeth over it but in his heart of hearts, he was thankful for all of Hermann’s care.

Once their bleeding stopped, they made direct eye contact and knew what the other was thinking without an exchange of words. Although bickering and insulting each other took up most of their relationship, it could be something more, just like when they wrote letters to each other. The spark was still there but it seemed the universe wanted them to be patient, or at least find another way of expression before diving head on into such affection. Newt’s eyes were turning blue with his brief despair and Hermann could only think to lace their hands together in his lap, his own heart stinging as well. They say patience is a virtue, so they would just have to be virtuous and take their time.

**Author's Note:**

> [inspo: [gif](https://pin.it/66woGQV) & [post](https://nyctiphile.tumblr.com/post/617703236736073728/first-newmann-kiss-some-neurons-in-their-brains)]


End file.
